6 



FANCIERS' JOURNAL AND POULTRY EXCHANGE. 



but seldom serve They are too fast, too migratory 



in their habits to learn anything which needs perfect fidel- 

 ity and vigilance They are the musicians, and we 



might almost say the sensuous poets of the animal world ; 

 but musicians and sensuous poets do not conduce to progres- 

 sive knowledge and ethical culture." 



ITEMS 



INTERESTING AND AMUSING. 



The proprietors of the Liberii, of Paris, established a 

 pigeon express between the office of the journal and Trianon, 

 to carry the news of the proceedings of the Bazaine court- 

 martial. The proprietors had a pigeon-house constructed 

 on the roof of their premises, and every morning a man 

 starts for Versailles with a certain number of these birds. 

 The reporter attaches his account of the proceedings to a 

 bird's body, portions of the report being so brought as the 

 carriers are successively let loose. The average time these 

 winged messengers take for the transit is six minutes. 



Discovery. — A few days since, while workmen were en- 

 gaged in digging and making an opening in the sewer on 

 Sixth Street, Philadelphia, in front of the Odd Fellows' Hall, 

 to connect with a smaller one on Cresson Street, a large-sized 

 hog made its appearance at the opening, endeavoring to get 

 out from its dark pen. The laborers hauled the animal out 

 after considerable trouble, and it is at present in the posses- 

 sion of the Hall Association, who are puzzled to know what 

 to do with it. How it came into the sewer and how long it 

 had been there is not known. 



Some months ago a Lithuanian lynx escaped from a trav- 

 elling menagerie at Altona, Holstein, and $20 reward was 

 offered for its capture, but in vain. Not long ago a sentinel 

 at Kiel observed a strange cat-like animal coming out of the 

 mouth of a large cannon on the ramparts, and after a short 

 time returning with a duck in its jaws. The man got assist- 

 ance ; a net was spread over the muzzle of the gun, and the 

 missing lynx was recaptured, together with a domestic cat 

 and a litter of three young ones. These curious kittens have 

 been transferred to the botanical garden of Hamburg, where 

 they have been visited by many naturalists. 



An expert lays down the following rule for telling the 

 age of eggs: Take an egg carefully between the thumb and 

 the forefinger of the left hand, carry it to the further end of 

 the back yard, look carefully around to see that no one is 

 watching you, tap the egg gently with a knife or other 

 edged instrument held in the right hand, and jump back 

 with alacrity. Then take the others one at a time and try 

 them in a like manner. After a little practice in this art, 

 a quick ear can detect the difference in sound, the one that 

 pops the loudest being the oldest egg. 



A printer was boasting the other day about his wonder- 

 ful ability to set type. " I know what you can't set," said 

 a comrade. " What is it ?" " Two hens on one nest." 



An Affectionate Eat.— The Whitehall (N. T.) Times 

 relates the following story of affection in a rat : There is in 

 Whitehall village a family who have a little daughter 2§ 

 years old, who has formed a singular attachment for a rat. 

 Every day this little one goes into the wood-shed adjoining 

 the house, where a large, venerable-looking rat makes its 

 appearance, when the innocent-looking child proceeds to 



feed it from her chubby hand. The parents have caught 

 their little one feeding its protegi several times of late, yet, 

 on the approach of any other than the little girl, the rat 

 scampers off to its hole. Several efforts have been made by 

 the child's parents to despatch the singular companion of 

 their darling, for it was feared that the child may get bitten 

 by it. Last Sunday the rat showed its affection and guar- 

 dian care of the little one's comfort, as the following will 

 show : The child's mother put it to sleep in its cradle in 

 the kitchen, going to another room in the house, leaving 

 the sleeping child alone. She was gone some time. On her 

 return she cast her eye at the child, when she was surprised 

 to observe the rat standing perched upon the top of the cra- 

 dle, moving its tail over the little sleeper. The mother, 

 wishing to see what the "varmint was up to," stood and 

 watched its movements, peeping through the door, which 

 was only partly opened. She observed a number of flies 

 above the child's face, when two lit on the little one, whereat 

 the kind rat whisked them oft' with its tail. Wishing to 

 make sure, the lady quietly called her husband, and the two 

 stood watching the proceedings for at least ten minutes. 

 Every time that a fly dared to alight on the little one's face 

 that old rat's friendly tail would brush it away, like the 

 guardian angel hovering about us, who, we believe, is con- 

 stantly brushing away dangers that threaten us poor mortals. 

 It was thought safe by the child's parents to leave the child 

 in charge of its singular nurse, and for one hour the little 

 one slept. When it awoke its mother went to take it up, 

 and the rat jumped from the cradle and sped away through 

 the half-opened door to the wood shed. Since that time the 

 child has been put to sleep in the kitchen to ascertain if the 

 experiment would he repeated. Each time, when left alone, 

 with the shed door partially open, the old rat would enter 

 and take up its position over the top of the cradle, watching 

 the little sleeper and brushing away the flies who dared to 

 trouble its precious charge. 



The Dahlia, now a common flower, easily cultivated, 

 and as pretty as common, commanded a large price when it 

 was rare. A gentleman sending home a few bulbs, was 

 astonished to find them served among his vegetables, at din- 

 ner. The curious fact about this mistake is that it was a 

 repetition of the blunder which introduced the flower into 

 England. An English lady sent a bulb from abroad home 

 to her gardener, supposing it to be an artichoke, and intend- 

 ing it for the kitchen garden. " When a beautiful flower 

 came up, instead of a succulent vegetable, she gazed on it 

 with a feeling akin to that of the fox hunter, who complained 

 that the smell of the violets spoiled the scent." The'offer of 

 thirty guineas for a root, made by a London florist, recon- 

 ciled her to the disappointment. 



TEXAS RABBITS. 



In the vicinity of Austin, and throughout a large portion 

 of Central and Western Texas, there is a small gray rabbit, 

 which is probably Lepus sylvaticus of Bachman. We say 

 rabbit (although English authors tell us that hare is the cor- 

 rect and proper name), because hare is never used in speak- 

 ing of this animal in Texas. These animals are very de- 

 structive to young fruit trees, and also rose bushes, especially 

 those which have been recently planted and have branches 

 near the ground. The damage is done in the winter-time, 

 not generally by gnawing the bark from the body of the 



